


Frost and Vibe, Taking on Gotham!

by Jenna_Nicole



Series: Killervibe One-Shots 2020 [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Caitlin Snow Needs a Hug, Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow Friendship, Crazy Gotham City, F/M, KillerVibe - Freeform, KillerVibe Valentine, Protective Caitlin Snow, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, cisco and Caitlin fluff, cisco and frost, killervibevalentine, killervibevalentine20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-19 03:09:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22704166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenna_Nicole/pseuds/Jenna_Nicole
Summary: Giddy with the thought of Caitlin loving him the same way he loved her caused him to smile too brightly for a passerby in Gotham, screaming, “Frost and Vibe, taking on Gotham!”Frost rolled her eyes, not sure how she was going to deal with this new development.“Frost and Vibe, taking on Gotham,” she muttered, deciding to have a pointed conversation later with Caity.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon & Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon/Caitlin Snow, Killer Frost & Cisco Ramon
Series: Killervibe One-Shots 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696453
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	Frost and Vibe, Taking on Gotham!

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! 
> 
> I realize that in Flash canon Valentine's Day is supposed to only be like a day or two after Marathon, but just pretend there was a 3-week skip. Screw canon. That's why we have fanfiction anyway. This story wasn't at all what I planned but it exists and it's here, so drown with me in this disaster fluff.

“Frost and Vibe, Taking on Gotham!” 

Caitlin Snow shuffled down the dilapidated sidewalk, letting her hair bleed white to shield her face from the people. Even while forcing herself to pretend they weren’t, she was certain they were looking, like the monsters would break free from the sewers and try to drag her down with them, to the even darker depths of the city. This narrow alley was bleak enough, she decided, hugging her bag closer to her chest, keeping her eyes peeled for any intrusion as she fast-walked to the colorless diner on the corner of the block. 

Being a host now, she could feel the direct shift of perception as Frost took her form, her trepidation turning into acceptance, even while sirens and gunfire were heard like a lullaby somewhere back further. It wasn’t safe, sure, but maybe Frost understood the heart of Gotham in a way she never could. A sense of belonging in the hazard, in the gray umbrella sky, in the war-torn foundations. 

Everything shifted back, as Frost let her go, her honey locks spiraling down her shoulders as her eyes turned warm, setting on the booth in the back, where two cups of coffee were steaming. Expectant eyes met hers and she smiled, feeling even more out of place in the dim-lit diner, too dismantled for her to be wearing heels. 

“You could have picked a nicer part of town,” she commented, a laugh rolling off her tongue as he lifted from where he was positioned, a warm smile flashing her eyesight as he wrapped his arms around her, 

“This is the nicer part of town,” he muffled, laughing in her shoulder, as his hand fell to her elbow, “unless you’re one of the elites.” Shifting back to the booth, Caitlin flopped down, relaxing for the first time since she drove into the city. She spent most of those last few moments parking, cursing over the lack of working extrapilators. 

“Cisco, what are you doing in Gotham?” she deadpanned, holding her bag on her lap and she pulled on her mug. 

He sighed, eyes flickering up as sirens pounded through the walls of the diner, red and blue swirling across Cisco’s face as he watched them, grimacing as a yell was heard from a few buildings down. “It’s not that bad,” he whispered, just as another car came flying around the curve. 

She shook her head, trying to relax again where she sat, with her fingers wrapped tightly around the mug. “You have the whole world to add to your database and you decide to start with Gotham?” 

“Well, if I’m being honest, I didn’t actually believe it would be  _ this _ bad.” 

She laughed into her drink, peering out the window as the cop finally pulled away and began speeding in the opposite direction. 

“And I wanted to get it over with.” 

It would be a little hard for him to finish his research, however, if he wasn’t alive to continue, she considered, hating the thoughts of him walking around in Gotham, unarmed and with dysfunctional meta powers. 

Interrupting her anxieties, he reached to touch her hand, a steady gaze passing over her. “I’m really glad you’re here.” 

“I am too. It hasn’t been the same at the lab without you.” 

That was an understatement. It had been a rude awakening when she found there wasn’t much reason to be at the lab without Cisco in it, other than the responsibilities she was bound and dedicated to. She would find herself leaning over to tease him, whether she was Frost or Caitlin at that moment, only to find her gaze meeting cold air. No more warmed up seats for her to sit in once Cisco finished his work. No more cups of coffee left on her desk or pieces of candy being offered to her at seven in the morning. No more goodnight hugs and analytical discussions about the vast probabilities of the universe. No more nothing. No more Cisco. 

Looking into his warm eyes, relief settled in her chest at his nearness, for the first time in three agonizing weeks at Star Labs. “It’s been different, that’s for sure,” she said, wishing to adequately convey just how much she meant it. That Cisco was necessary and an irreplaceable component, if for some outlandish reason, he could forget that. That her suggestion had been so easy to act on because he was just that desperate to find his place. She didn’t know how deeply he took her word as gospel. 

“Tradition is tradition,” he finally said, glancing up at the approaching waitress, holding a massive plate of at least 10 pancakes stacked on top of each other. Caitin’s eyes lit up, temporarily forgetting her location and putting her attention on Cisco. 

“You remembered,” she said, accepting the additional plate and orange juice being handed to her, still with her eyes watching Cisco who was beaming. 

He gave her a questionable look as if to ask why she would ever doubt him. “Of course I did. We’re both single, which means this applies. But hey, I am sorry you had to drive through Gotham, but I  _ did _ say I’d drive to Central City for you.” 

She rolled her eyes. “I insisted before you sent me the address.” 

He was digging into his stack of pancakes, smiling way too much for a man who just recently became newly single. The intention of their tradition was never supposed to be this lighthearted and positive. 

It had been birthed three years back on Valentine’s day, back when Cisco was fighting hard for the heart of Cynthia and Caitlin had been insisting that her and Julian were just friends. They were both single though, and without his “love donut,” as he had put it, Cisco had shown up at her house thoroughly down in the dumps. So they had agreed to keep each other company, watching movies and playing board games, until at around two in the morning when Cisco had turned to Caitlin and said, “I want pancakes.” 

She had smiled from the couch, not at all able to provide the energy to actually make pancakes, but Cisco had been content to make them himself, spending the next half hour singing loudly along to Disney songs and encouraging Caitlin to sing alone, who was just humming with her eyes closed on the couch. Clearly Cisco was tired, but he was very much out of the dumps. 

By three in the morning, they were both sitting on the living room floor eating pancakes, talking about their deepest insecurities and promising to be best friends forever. “Promise me,” he said, looking up at her as she moved the plates to the coffee table. “That if we are ever both single and lonely on Valentine’s Day, we’ll do this again.” 

“Make a mess?” 

“No,” he said, smoothing his messy hair. “Pancakes. They were so good.” 

“They were,” she agreed, making herself comfortable on the couch again. “I promise, but only if you make them.” 

He nodded eagerly, plummeting onto the recliner beside Caitlin. 

The next year, Cisco was with Cynthia, so Caitlin had sat in her living room eating cereal alone. 

The year after that, Cisco showed up at her house with far too many pancakes than they could possibly eat, not unless they invited Barry, and they didn’t. This was their tradition and Barry was thoroughly occupied anyway. 

And this year, after Cisco broke up with Kamilla, Cisco immediately texted her saying, “We have to meet up for Valentine’s day.” How could she possibly say “no”? 

Caitlin smiled at the memory, pouring syrup onto her pancakes as Cisco spread butter on his own. He didn’t look heartbroken to her, and she knew well enough how to tell when he was faking. Just as she had known pretty early into Cisco’s relationship with Kamilla that he wasn’t right for her, and he knew it too. Maybe the stress had driven him to settle for something normal, but he was never supposed to live that way. Cisco Ramon had never been a “normal” person and he never should have tried to fit himself in that box. 

And now, even in Gotham City, he seemed to be thriving, eyes lit like someone had struck a match. She longed to catch the flame that freed him, and she intended to do just that. She just had to push herself to say the words first. 

“Cisco,” she started, catching his sturdy gaze with the seriousness of her tone. “I said it’s different at the lab without you. You believe that, don’t you?” 

“I’m sure you have to do twice the work.” 

“That’s not what I mean,” she said, gazing down at her hands, her face tentative, like she was about to rip off a bandage. “It isn’t about the work. I  _ like _ the work.” 

He resisted the smirk that came in response to Caitlin’s seriousness, the kind that she used when Cisco was having far too much fun in the lab to get anything done. Instead, he waited on her, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“It’s lonely, I guess. I know you’re the right person for this job and I still think you should do it, but I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you.” 

She looked embarrassed when he looked at her, thoroughly confused why such a confession would cause her to want to shrink back in the way she was right then. So he tried to calm her fears and take her hand again, a smile forming at the thought of being missed. Because he had to be honest. He doubted it at times. When everyone had someone else it could be hard. Even when he was with Kamilla, he was fairly certain she would be alright if he never came back from Crisis. He was even sure that Caitlin would get over it eventually and go on living her life without much of a shift. But here she was, earnestly telling him that she missed him, after only three weeks. 

“Then I’ll come back,” he said as if the rest of the world could wait. Everything would sort itself out eventually. Somebody else could easily do it. Somebody without strings attached. If Caitlin needed him in Central City, he would ride home with her in the car right at that moment. 

“No,” she said, shaking her head, her face slightly flushed. “I think this is something you’ll be really good at and I don’t think you should quit.” 

He agreed to some extent with her assumption, being that he had always been excellent at organizing data. The task before him, though a bit overwhelming, was something he genuinely found interest in. He didn’t quite want to stop, but again, if Caitlin said the word, everyone who knew them had no doubt he would be there in an instant. “I still can’t get the extrapolators to work, or my powers for that matter. It would be so much easier if I could just breach back to see you whenever I could.” 

“I know.” 

“I’m going to figure it out eventually.” 

She nodded, playing with a loose strand of her hair, her eyes still tentative. “I know you will, Cisco.” She paused, but it was very clear she had more to say, but she wasn’t sure she had the courage to say it. To impose. To cling to him in such a way. To make it so abundantly clear that she was missing him so intensely. 

“What is it?” he asked, voice full. 

She breathed, straightened her hands out on her lap, smoothing out her skirt. “I didn’t realize until you left...how much you meant. I’ve been a wreck, Cisco. I can’t do it anymore. I need to be with you.” 

“Then we’ll go back to Centra-”

“No, Cisco. I want to be your partner. I want to go with you.” 

Cisco’s calm demeanor changed slightly so that he looked uncertain, alert in a way that implied he was really considering her words. Not rejecting them, but they confused him. Rattled him a bit. Like there was still so much she was not saying, bit back behind her now watery eyes, watching him with an invitation. 

“You want to travel with me?” he asked carefully, his expression relaxing significantly. 

“Yeah, I can help. Plus, while we’re in Gotham, you can’t possibly tell me you wouldn’t want Frost by your side for safety. At least until you get a hold of being Vibe again.” 

He nodded repeatedly, as if showing agreement to all of her points, but he looked cautious, a new thought popping into his head suddenly as his eyes lit up. “Caitlin, that sounds like so much fun.” 

She nodded vigorously, her long hair falling over her eyes for a moment, suddenly being pushed to the side of her ear by her best friend, who looked somewhat dazed as he pressed her hair back. “It does,” she said almost mutely, voice shaking ever so slightly. 

He paused, his face still close, an urgent look forming in his eye. “I’ll let you come with me, I guess.” And then he grinned. “As long as you agree to be my Valentine. I want all those scary Gotham men to know that a guy like me can definitely get a girl like you.” 

She stopped short, her mind racing at his question. “Definitely,” she said quickly, then, smoothing out her hand over the hand that she hadn’t realized she was touching on the table, she soaked in the view, letting a lazy smile meet her lips. “Only if you really mean it.” 

“Only if we can be a power couple,” he said, smirking. 

She groaned, rolling her eyes. “The most powerful in Gotham, for sure. Vibe and Frost, taking on Gotham together.” 

Gaze still steady, he shook his head. “ _ Frost and Vibe _ , taking on Gotham together!” 

“The whole world together.” 

“ _ Everything _ together.” 

And then she gasped, realizing what she was doing and what Cisco was returning and she began to giggle, her hand falling over her mouth as she forced her eyes onto the table. The room was spinning, even more so when Cisco’s hand wrapped around her hand and squeezed it. 

“But in all seriousness, I want you to be my Valentine. I want to be with you. I just…” he sighed, turning his head to get back in her view. “I just wasn’t sure how to say it and if you’d want the same thing. I didn’t want to get hurt.” 

Cisco straightened in his seat, as Caitlin’s eyes courageously lifted from the table. 

“And I’d never want to scare you away. You’re my best friend, and I’d rather be just your friend than risk losing all of that.” 

Caitlin just stared at him, struck with what was happening, and that she had been foolish to think he would be weirded out by her neediness for him or deny her when she suggested their partnership. And all along, even if he was with someone else, he deep down felt for her in a way surpassing the platonic nature she feared he would only ever desire. But he was looking back at her, a content little smile growing bigger as she stared at him, her face growing hotter by the second. 

She gasped, her eyes going wide with dumb recognition. “I love you.” 

Staying composed, his dark eyes squinting as his smile grew and he laughed. “How long?” 

She startled, her cheeks feeling feverish as swallowed. “Since...almost three years ago. You never gave up on me. I couldn’t forget that. And you’re the reason I was okay. That I  _ am _ okay.” She bit her lip, not sure if she should repeat his question or if she should keep her mouth shut, being that he had never confessed that he loved her in the same way. 

But then, as she glanced up at him nervously, he froze, “Oh.” Then he laughed. “Caitlin, I love you too, of course. I’ve loved you since...god. I don’t know.” 

She couldn’t move. 

“I don’t really remember a time when I didn’t  _ at least _ have a massive crush on you.” 

“Oh,” she said, smiling warmly at him, hoping that the turn in her stomach wouldn’t serve as a warning of what was to come, awkwardness and nervousness all around. But her heart was racing, and she couldn’t quite find a way to make it stop that didn’t involve flatlining.

But when he had packed up their leftover pancakes (because Cisco had ordered far too many) and told the waitress that he would like some extra syrup packets for his “Valentine,” she was certain the awkwardness would be worth it. 

They walked out into the evening lights, glancing around at the shady neighborhood with equal nervousness. So Caitlin let Frost take the wheel, putting her arm protectively around Cisco’s shoulder with eyes narrowed at anyone who looked as if they might try to make a move. The walk to Caitlin’s car and back to the place Cisco was staying would surely be interesting, but Caitlin had a point when she said having Frost as security would be a good thing. 

Giddy with the thought of Caitlin loving him the same way he loved her caused him to smile too brightly for a passerby in Gotham, screaming, “Frost and Vibe, taking on Gotham!” 

Frost rolled her eyes, not sure how she was going to deal with this new development.

“Frost and Vibe, taking on Gotham,” she muttered, deciding to have a pointed conversation later with Caity. 


End file.
